Newcastle United moved a step closer to ending their trophy drought with victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday evening, with the Magpies securing a 2-1, second-leg triumph in front of a raucous home crowd.
While much of the focus elsewhere was on the hectic transfer activity taking place on deadline day, inside St James’ Park the sole focus among both players and supporters was on sealing a long-awaited return to Wembley, with it having been far too long for a club of such stature to have been without silverware.
After sealing a narrow, 1-0 win away at St Mary’s a week ago, the Tynesiders took firm control of the tie inside just five minutes last night, as academy graduate Sean Longstaff produced a stunning, fizzing effort to net his first goal on home soil in four years.
Having waited so long to break that goalscoring duck, the 25-year-old then bolstered his tally with another impressive finish midway through the first half, the Englishman running onto Miguel Almiron’s pullback and brilliantly slotting past a helpless Gavin Bazunu.
While a swift Che Adams reply – as well as a late Bruno Guimaraes dismissal – would ensure some understandable nerves for the northeast side, Eddie Howe’s men were ultimately able to see out the match to set up what will most likely be a mouthwatering, showpiece showdown with Manchester United.
On a night of standout performances that epitomised the club’s remarkable rise over the past 12 months or so, one notably key figure was that of summer arrival Nick Pope, with the £60k-per-week colossus having been integral to keeping the Saints at bay.
Although the Englishman has little to do in truth against Nathan Jones’ side – having made just two saves and recorded only 19 touches – one moment, in particular, laid bare just why the 30-year-old has been a “world-class signing” for the club, as described by journalist Carl Kinsella.
With the game finely poised at 2-1 to the hosts – and 3-1 on aggregate – the former Burnley man made a vital intervention to deny opposition striker Adam Armstong in the closing stages, superbly racing out of his goal to thwart the diminutive forward, following a stunning, threaded pass from Romeo Lavia.
It is arguably an indication of an elite goalkeeper to be able to remain alert despite having had little involvement in the game, with Howe no doubt thankful that the £10m man acted so effectively to quash any hope of a comeback for the visitors.
Equally, the ten-cap gem could arguably have done little about Adams’ first-half piledriver, with that effort having been the first goal that the experienced ace had conceded in the competition this season, after also keeping 12 clean sheets in his 20 Premier League outings in the current campaign.
After a season in which the likes of Karl Darlow, Freddie Woodman and Martin Dubravka were all unable to truly nail down a regular role last term, it is no surprise that Newcastle’s recent resurgence has come with a more reliable presence between the sticks, in the form of Pope.
